Interview: Chicago ‘Underworld: Rise of the Lycans’ Writer Kevin Grevioux on Science-Based Vampires

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“There are a lot of things about the mythos of vampires and werewolfs that vary so much when you try to get your head around it. They didn’t make sense to me,” Grevioux said. “Why can I see you if you’re sitting across from me? If you’re a vampire, why don’t you cast a reflection in a mirror? Why does a cross make a vampire cringe? They have their mystical reasons. The rules are amorphous.”

So, Grevioux cleaned the slate and guided his Hollywood pen using the building blocks of our very DNA. Grevioux added: “When looking at the panoply of vampire and werewolf lore out there, I decided to get rid of it and make it based on science.”

He continued: “For me, it all started because of a plague or super rabies where the infected cells were fused with wolf or bat DNA after being bitten. That made more comic-book sense. I could go with that. When you get into the origins of these creatures, if it’s mystical then you’ve got to bring in other things. They still don’t always play out and you wonder why. I never liked that.”

Marvel Comics vs. DC Comics

“Underworld: Rise of the Lycans” writer and actor Kevin Grevioux in Chicago on Jan. 19, 2009. Photo credit: Adam Fendelman, HollywoodChicago.com

On the topic of comic titans Marvel Comics versus DC Comics, Grevioux’s stance doesn’t waiver about which is superior. He’s a “Marvel zombie” all the way.

“I like the Marvel characters a lot more,” Grevioux said. “They’re richer in character. They have more problems. Batman might be the possible exception, but I still find Batman to be like a Superman or Wonder Woman type because he can do anything.”

He added: “Marvel characters can’t do everything. They have their limitations. That’s what makes them so interesting. That’s the essence of a character.”

Grevioux continued: “If you have a character like Superman who can’t be hurt and doesn’t have any weakness [except for Kryptonite], why are you doing a movie about him? What good does he do?”

“That’s why the best incarnation of Superman so far has been the Max Fleischer cartoons,” Grevioux said. “There he was super strong, but he could be hurt. That’s where you get courage from. Dealing with a situation even though you might struggle or be hurt or killed is what makes you heroic.”

With the past year arguably being the year of the superhero film with blockbuster releases such as “The Dark Knight,” “Iron Man,” “The Incredible Hulk,” “Hellboy II: The Golden Army,” “Hancock,” “Punisher: War Zone,” “The Spirit” and “Watchmen” in 2009, “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” in 2009 and “Superman: Man of Steel” in 2011, why are we so superhero addicted?

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